Cannabis and MS: What Does Science Say?

In Part 1 of this series, we shared why Montel Williams, the most visible patient-advocate in medical cannabis, chose to partner with FK+. His story started with an MS diagnosis in 1999 and 25 years of fighting for patient access.

In Part 2 we’re diving into the science behind it. What MS actually does to your body, what the research says about cannabinoids, and why most of the world is already ahead of where the US is right now.

Multiple Sclerosis Is An Autoimmune Disease

Your immune system, the thing that’s supposed to protect you, starts attacking the protective coating around your nerves. That coating is called myelin, and it works like the insulation on an electrical wire. Without it, nerve signals slow down, misfire or stop entirely.

The result is a list of symptoms that touches nearly every part of daily life:

On top of that they also experience cognitive issues, sleep disruption, bladder problems, anxiety and depression. MS doesn’t just affect one thing, it affects the system that connects everything.

The worst part: there is no cure. Treatments focus on slowing the disease and managing symptoms. And for a lot of patients, the treatments themselves come with a heavy cost.

The Problem Nobody Talks About

When Montel Williams was diagnosed with MS, his doctors prescribed opioids for the neuropathic pain. They worked but they also damaged his liver and kidneys.

That’s not unusual. For millions of MS patients, the treatment journey looks the same: conventional medications that partially manage symptoms but come with side effects that create new problems. 

• Opioids cause dependency and organ damage.
• Muscle relaxants cause drowsiness and cognitive fog.
• Anti-seizure medications can cause dizziness, weight gain and mood changes.

Patients aren’t choosing between “feel good” and “feel bad”. They’re choosing between one kind of bad and another.

That’s why so many have turned to cannabis.

The Reason Cannabis Works for MS Isn’t Random

Your body has a built-in system called the endocannabinoid system. It helps regulate inflammation, pain, immune response, sleep and stress. Think of it as your body's internal balancing act.

The inflammation, the nerve damage, the pain, the muscle stiffness, the sleep problems are all MS symptoms that can be managed by the endocannabinoid system.

Cannabinoids plug directly into that system. That's why they keep showing up in MS research. Cannabis is not just masking symptoms, it's supporting the part of your body that MS is actively disrupting.

And Yet… The US Is Trailing Behind

There’s a cannabis-based medicine called Sativex that’s already approved in 29 countries for MS spasticity. It’s a THC and CBD oral spray for patients who haven’t found relief with anything else. It’s been prescribed in Europe and Canada for over a decade. In real-world use, about 2 out of 3 MS patients using it for three months said it meaningfully reduced their muscle stiffness. Most also reported less pain, better sleep and improved walking.

The US still hasn’t approved it.

Beyond that one medicine, the broader research is pointing in the same direction. In the UK, 203 MS patients were tracked for two full years while using cannabis-based products. Their energy improved, their pain decreased, their sleep got better and their overall quality of life went up. 

Similarly in Greece, 69 MS patients used a CBD/THC formulation for six months. Their muscle stiffness improved, their bladder function improved and researchers saw a small signal that the disease itself was progressing slightly slower.

Sources: Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids 2025 (UK registry, 203 patients), Journal of Clinical Medicine 2025 (Greece, 69 patients), Pharmaceutics 2024 (Nouh et al.)

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